A tourist explores the beautiful city of Lisbon in Portugal during summer vacations. PintoArt / Shutterstock.comCity breaks have overtaken beach holidays as the most popular type of holiday among UK travellers, while cruising and wellness breaks are gaining momentum, according to ABTA’s latest Holiday Habits 2026–27 Report.
The report, released on 13 October, points to an evolving mix of travel preferences as holidaymakers seek varied experiences, better value and opportunities to travel outside the traditional peak summer season.
Some 53% of respondents said they had taken a city break in the previous 12 months, up six percentage points from the previous year. This placed city breaks ahead of beach holidays, which edged up from 48% to 49%.
Overall, 88% of respondents had taken a holiday during the past year, the highest proportion recorded since 2019, indicating continued demand for travel despite cost-of-living pressures.
Cruising and wellness breaks gain momentum
Cruising is also showing signs of sustained growth. The proportion of respondents who had taken a cruise rose to 13%, compared with 12% in the previous year. More significantly, 17% said they intended to take a cruise in the next 12 months, pointing to further growth potential in 2027.
ABTA said its members were reporting that first-time cruise passengers were returning to book again. Travellers were also tending to reserve cruises further in advance than other types of holidays to secure their preferred itineraries.
Wellness travel is another emerging area. The proportion of respondents who had taken a wellbeing break increased to 9%, up from 7% a year earlier.
Interest in wellness cruises also strengthened. Among respondents who had taken or planned to take a cruise, the proportion interested in a wellness cruise rose from 21% to 28% in just one year.
The findings suggest opportunities for travel businesses to develop products that combine traditional leisure experiences with relaxation and wellbeing.
However, the figures do not signal a decline in the appeal of conventional beach holidays. Among families, 57% had taken a beach holiday during the previous year, reinforcing the segment’s continuing importance to the travel industry.
May emerges as a preferred month for travel in 2027
The research also points to growing interest in travelling outside the busiest summer months, as holidaymakers look for value and more comfortable conditions for exploring destinations.
May emerged as the most popular month for planned overseas holidays in 2027, cited by 17% of respondents, followed by September at 15%. August remained the preferred month for families, with around 20% planning an overseas holiday during that period.
ABTA suggested that the search for good-value holidays could be contributing to the appeal of shoulder-season travel. City breaks may also benefit from cooler conditions that make sightseeing and exploring urban destinations more comfortable.
Graeme Buck, director of communications at ABTA – The Travel Association, said the changes reflected an evolution rather than a revolution in holiday preferences.
The growing popularity of city breaks, cruises and wellness travel represents a trend for the industry to watch, he said, while demand for traditional beach holidays remains strong.
The findings are based on ABTA’s annual Holiday Habits survey, conducted by The Nursery Research and Planning with a nationally representative sample of 2,082 UK adults between 21 July and 6 August 2026.
Although the results reflect UK consumer intentions rather than global travel demand, they offer travel businesses an indication of how preferences in one of Europe’s major outbound markets may shape product development and holiday planning for 2027.
